Kremlin on Moscow-Washington talks: Ukraine negotiations now limited to US channel

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Moscow is currently holding negotiations on a potential settlement of the war in Ukraine exclusively with the United States, noting that no other dialogue formats are active.

Commenting on the negotiations held between Russian and US officials on December 2, Ushakov stated that Ukraine had declined, at least for the time being, to resume the Istanbul negotiation rounds, leaving Washington as Russia’s only counterpart in ongoing talks, Caliber.Az reports via TASS. 

According to Ushakov, discussions held in the Kremlin the previous evening between President Vladimir Putin and two US envoys focused entirely on resolving the "crisis in Ukraine." He described the talks as substantive and said both sides examined the issue in depth.

Ushakov added that the US side had expressed readiness to work toward a long-term settlement, and he said this approach aligned with Russia’s own objectives.

He confirmed that the topic of Ukraine’s potential NATO membership had also been raised during Putin’s meeting with US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, calling it one of the key issues under discussion.

Regarding Europe, Ushakov said there were currently no active contacts with European governments, adding that European leaders had declined communication with Moscow. He noted, however, that President Putin remains open to dialogue and has repeatedly stated that any European leader wishing to engage is welcome to visit Moscow.

On December 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin met in the Kremlin with US President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss the US peace plan for Ukraine.

According to Putin’s adviser Yuri Ushakov, the talks concentrated on the overall framework of US President Donald Trump’s plan rather than on concrete proposals.

Ushakov stated that no compromises have been reached so far, and a direct meeting between the Russian and US leaders is not planned at this stage.

By Sabina Mammadli